SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & ORGANIC FARMING

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ORGANIC FARMING

Conventional agriculture relies heavily on chemical fertilizers and toxic pesticides etc., which enter the food supply, penetrate the water sources, harm the livestock, deplete the soil and devastate natural ecosystems. So, efforts have been made to evolve technologies, which are eco-friendly and are essential for sustainable development. One such eco-friendly technology is ‘Organic Farming'.

Meaning of Organic Farming

Meaning: Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control.

• Organic farming is the process of producing safe and healthy food, without leaving any adverse impact on the environment.

• In short, organic agriculture is a whole system of farming that restores, maintains and enhances the ecological balance.
• There is an increasing demand for organically grown food, to enhance food safety throughout the world.

Benefits of Organic Farming

• Economical Farming: Organic Farming offers a means to substitute costlier agricultural inputs (such as HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, etc.) with locally prod cheaper organic inputs.
• Generates income through exports: It generates income through international export demand for organically grown crops is on a rise.
• Provides Healthy Food: It provides healthy food as organically grown food has more nutritional value than food grown through chemical farming.
• Source of Employment: Organic farming generates more employment opportunities as requires more labor input than conventional farming.
• Safety of environment: The produce of organic farming is pesticide-free and is produced in an environmentally sustainable way.

Challenges before Organic Farming

• Less Popular: Organic farming needs to be popularized by creating awareness willingness on the part of farmers, to the adoption of new technology. There is a serious for an appropriate agriculture policy to promote organic farming.
• Lack of infrastructure and marketing facilities: Organic farming faces problems with inadequate infrastructure and marketing facilities.
• Low Yield: Organic farming has a lesser yield in the initial years as compared to modern agricultural farming. As a result, small and marginal farmers find it difficult to adapt to large-scale production.
• A Shorter food life: Organic produce has a shorter shelf life as compared to sprayed produce.
• Five-Limited choice of crops: The choice in the production of off-season crops is quite limited in organic farming. Inspire of all these limitations, organic farming helps in the sustainable development of agriculture